Isaiah Rodgers made the kind of impact plays that swing a muddy game, and the Minnesota Vikings rode them to a 9-3 win over the Chicago Bears on a rainy Sunday at Soldier Field.
Rodgers recovered a fumble, then later stuffed Chicago’s last hope by blocking a late field-goal try. That was enough for Minnesota, which kept Caleb Williams and the Bears out of the end zone and moved to 2-0 for the first time since it opened the 2024 season with five straight wins.
Aaron Jones carried the load on the ground for Minnesota, rushing for 105 yards. Will Reichard handled the scoring with three field goals, finishing the job with a 39-yarder and 1:09 remaining.
Chicago’s offense never found a rhythm against a Vikings defense led by Dallas Turner. Minnesota held the Bears to 297 yards, and Turner collected two of the Vikings’ four sacks. Byron Murphy Jr. also came away with an interception after Williams forced a throw in the first quarter.
Williams finished 15 of 26 for 138 yards before leaving midway through the fourth quarter with a right hamstring injury. He also ran five times for 42 yards. The No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft was helped off the field after a scramble deep in Minnesota territory, and a soaked crowd of 58,914 at Soldier Field went quiet.
The Bears had arrived with momentum after piling up 291 rushing yards and 552 total yards in their 59-37 win at Carolina in Week 1, a game that stood as the highest-scoring season opener in NFL history. But Sunday was a different story from the start.
Tyson Bagent replaced Williams and quickly completed a 1-yard pass to D’Andre Swift before an incompletion on third down. Ben Johnson then sent Cairo Santos out for a 23-yard field goal attempt, but Rodgers got a hand on it and sent it away.
After Carson Wentz led Minnesota to Reichard’s third field goal, Chicago had one final shot. Bagent connected with Rome Odunze for 21 yards and Luther Burden for 8 to reach the Vikings 12, but the Bears could not turn the drive into points.
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